Combined hose-reel and ladder-truck



(No Model.)

0. H. JAMES.

COMBIN D HOSrE REEL AND LADDER TRUCK. DID-275,493. Patented Apr; 10,1883.

I V I Invent OZ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. JAMES, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

COMBINED HOSE-REEL AND LADDER-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,493 dated April 10, 1883.

- Application filed December 7,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. J AMES,a citizen of the United States, residing at Gincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Hose-Reel and Ladder-Truck, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. 7

The object of my invention is to combine all the advantages of a hose-reel and ladder-truck in a single apparatus, so as to increase the efficiency and yet diminish'the expense of maintaining fire companies in suburban districts and small towns. This result is accomplished by journaling a reel transversely of the frame of a ladder-truck, in order that the hosemay be readily coupled to a plug or engine or other source of supply and be uncoiled from said reel while the apparatus is drawn from said source of supply to the fire, the ladders being supported on a rack or supplementary frame located above said reel. In the preferred construction of the apparatus said reel revolves around the rear axle of the truck; but where this arrangement is inadmissible the reel can be located in front of said axle, provided it is disposed transversely of the frame of the truck, and does not interfere with the ladders carried on the elevated rack, as hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claim.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the preferred form of my combined ladder-truck and hose-reel. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a modification of the apparatus, the hose being omitted from the reel. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the apparatus, taken in the plane of the rear axle thereof.

' A represents the front running-gear, B the rear running-gear, and G the main frame of my ladder-truck, said frame being coupled to these running gears, either with springs D or otherwise. Projecting upwardly from this frame are standards E, supporting a supplementary frame or rack, F, that carries a set of ladders, G G H H, of which the outer ones, G G,.may be ordinary sealers, while the inner ladders, H H, may be so hinged or otherwise coupled together as to be capable of extension. This supplementary frame or rack must, however, be located a suflicient distance above the 'reel to prevent the ladders or hose inte'r fering with each other. I represents the seat for the driver of the truck, the space beneath said seat being utilized for containing one or more extinguishers, J, of any approved construction. Adapted to revolve around the axle Kof the rear runninggear, B, is an ordinary reel, L, upon which is coiled the fire-engine hose N, the exposed end of the latter being engaged with a springclip, 0.

1n the modification of my invention seen in Fig. 2 the apparatus has a crane-neck frame, and the reel L is located in front of the rear axle, K, but necessarily transversely of said frame, thereby indicating that the construction of the truck may be varied to suit any special requirement, provided the advantage due to such an arrangement of the reel and elevated ladder-rack is preserved. Whichever construction may be adopted, it is apparent the hose N can be readily coupled to an engine or plug andbe uncoiled from the reel L while the apparatus is being drawn from the nearest source of supply to the fire,

and without in the least interferingwith the ladders carried on the elevated rack, which advantage cannot be obtained with those ladder-trucks 'having reels journaled longitudinally of themain frame, as this arrangement necessitates the hose being unreeled trans versely of the truck.

. When my apparatus arrives at a fire the ladders can be instantly detached from the supplemen tary frame F or other elevated support and used for obtaining access to the burning building, the sealers G G being brought into service for effecting an entrance into windows, &c., while the extension-ladder H H allows the pipemen to ascend to the roof.

By constructing the truck so as to allow the separate ladders G G to be about fifteen feet long, the extension-ladder H H will be capable of reaching to the roof of a house thirty feet high, which is sufficient to afford all the assistance necessary in suburban districts, as buildings in such localities are principally residences,-and are comparatively isolated. Furthermore, a truck of the size just described and provided with a transverse reel carrying from eight hundred to a thousand feet of ordinary I hose and a pair of extinguishers will be light enough to be drawn by hand, thereby adapting the apparatus to the volunteer system.

It is evident my apparatus enables one driver and a pair of horses to perform as much service as two drivers and three horses could do where the reel is run independently of the ladder-truck. Consequently the expense of maintaining the department is diminished, while its efficiency is increased, aseaeh hose company is enabled to gain access to the upper portion of a burning building without' waiting for a special hook-and-ladder wagon to reach the spot, which prompt service not only enables the fire to be extinguished in the most expeditions manner, but in some cases saves life. Finally, I am aware it is not new to journal a reel longitudinally of the frame of a ladder-truck, in order that the hose may be uncoiled transversely from said truck after the fire is reached; but as this construction prevents the hose being laid while the apparatus is drawn from a plug or other source of water supply, it. is expressly diselaimed as constitnting part of my invention.

I claim as my invention- The combination, in a fire apparatus, of truck or carriage A B O, havingjournaled transversely of it a reel, L, and supporting above said reel a. frame or rack, F, that holds the ladders, by which arrangement the en gine-hose is uncoiled from said reel L while the apparatus is being drawn from the source of water-supply to the fire, and without interfering with the ladders, as herein described.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. JAMES.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. LAYMAN, SAML. S. CARPENTER. 

